I may have seen more outstanding performances this year than any year prior, but I think 2013 goes down as the “Year of Legends” for me. I saw the great Brazilian band Os Mutantes at the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge in June. Just seeing a band that legendary in such an intimate space would have been enough, but the band responded with a tremendous show, topped by founder/leader Sergio Dias’ rock-guitar-god brilliance, as he put Hendrix, Clapton and Prince on a plane to Rio… unreal.

Second, I saw Booker T. Jones, one of the architects of Southern soul music and a true American musical genius, perform at Signal Kitchen — another legend in another intimate space. He told great stories, played the hell out of hits and new tunes, then met everyone in the bar.

Finally, I made good on a decade-old professional promise to myself and booked Elvis Costello, an artist whose personal impact on me is incalculable. That he put on an absolutely dazzling solo performance that exceeded my absurdly high expectations was so much gravy.

My favorite musical-but-non-performance moment came when weather forced the cancellation of David Hidalgo’s flight out of Burlington, so I took him to breakfast at Mirabelle’s and he regaled me with fabulous unedited tales of Bob Dylan, Captain Beefheart, Ry Cooder, Paul Simon and his favorite narcocorridos. Best omelet ever.

Brian McCarthy, saxophone player from Colchester

? Helen Sung Quartet

— FlynnSpace, June 6 — Helen and company were swinging so hard, it should have brought the roof down. The compositions and arrangements were filled with beauty and fire, and the solos were speaking the true language of jazz in all its glory. And saxophonist Seamus Blake, that’s just not fair…

? Gregoire Maret

— Vermont Jazz Center, Jan. 19 — I don’t normally think of harmonica as an instrument of leadership, but Gregoire has figured out how to take command of a band with one. And the driving force of Ben Williams and Clarence Penn backing him up, it was well worth the trip down south to be treated to such a unique show. It energized me enough to make the drive there and back, twice.

Linda Oats, music fan from Burlington

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival introduced me to jazz harp virtuoso Edmar Castaneda in a performance that tops my list for 2013. In a word, mesmerizing. This man literally rocked that harp. Joined by Shlomi Cohen on sax, Dave Silliman on drums and percussion, and occasionally by Andrea Tierra on vocals, Mr. Castaneda attacked, nuanced, caressed, and, well, devoured the harp in a lush, percussive, melodic display of his astounding talent. Looking forward to 2014!